Some image forming apparatuses are configured to switch the language of a character or character string, displayed on a display unit. Such image forming apparatuses are disclosed, for example, in Patent Literature (PTL) 1 and PTL 2. According to PTL 1, various languages are periodically displayed by turns, on the screen of the display unit, and when the user operates the apparatus at the time that the language familiar to the user is displayed, that language is thereafter displayed on the screen of the display unit. According to PTL 2, a plurality of language keys are displayed on the display unit, and while the user presses a desired language key, the corresponding language is displayed on the display unit.